It's That Time of the Month Again
by dietcocacola101
Summary: I, Scorpius Malfoy, am a werewolf. And it sucks. Especially when I wolf out and accidentally kill a student at my school and am now on the run with my best friend who happens to be my crush who happens to be Albus Potter. What's even worse is that he's always fussing over me in close quarters. Hmm, on second thought, this isn't so bad after all. Albus/Scorpius slash
1. Chapter 1

**It's That Time of the Month Again**

The air stank of sweat and competitiveness. I stood on the Quidditch field with my six fellow Slytherins and we glared at the Gryffindors, who glared right back. It was the last game of the year. Winning this would get us the Cup, the glory, and the bragging rights. We couldn't screw up and we knew it.

"Captains, shake hands," said our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, who was refereeing the match. They did and then the match began.

I pushed myself off the ground, Beater's bat in hand. All of my fear and anxiousness melted away as soon as I was in the air, just like always. Almost as soon as the whistle blew, a Bludger was hurtling towards me and I beat it in the direction of the Gryffindor Seeker as easily as if I was swatting away a fly. The sun beat down on me and the rest of the players in the afternoon heat. I could feel trickles of sweat dripping down my face and I reached up to wipe it away and in that instant, Jack Galecki, the Gryffindor Chaser, slammed into me and nearly knocked me off my broom.

"Get out of my way, dickwad!" he cried with a sneer and zoomed ahead. I made sure to hit the next few Bludgers at his head.

The game went on and on. The hot, sweaty afternoon turned into the cool evening, which turned into the freezing middle of the night. I had never played a Quidditch match for that long and the shock was hitting me harder than the cold. I mean, I had heard of games going on for days, weeks, and even months but I never thought I would be part of one. But my shocked thoughts were full of excitement, but I was sure Albus felt quite the opposite. As the Slytherin Seeker, he must be freaking out – the Snitch must be even harder to see at night.

And when I say night, I mean _night._ The stars were out, it was so dark that I could only tell if the Bludgers were headed my way because of the sound. The moon was bright, too. It was beautiful and shiny and…full.

I let out a bloodcurdling scream before I turned.

My face stretched painfully into a snout, my bones cracking as my spine changed shape and my limbs grew to twice their size, and a burst of pain exploded from my arse as I grew a tail. I was writhing and swerving in the air, the human part of me trying to force the broom to the ground and run to the Forbidden Forest before I hurt somebody, but it was too late. The beast was taking over and in thirty seconds, it had complete control. I was gone.

* * *

I woke up on the ground, cold and hungry. I stank of sweat and another unknown substance. I opened my eyes and saw nothing but darkness. For a moment, I thought I had gone blind but then I saw a bright light out of the corner of my eye and turned to face it. It was light glowing from a wand tip and Albus's delicate face was peering at me behind it.

"Where the hell are we, Al?" I croaked. My throat was dry, my head felt like it was splitting open, and my whole body ached. I felt this way every morning after I turn. Let's just say it is like a hangover but to the extreme. My naked body was covered in a thin blanket and I felt something wet on my face and neck. I wiped it away and it felt sticky and thick between my fingers.

"A cave just outside of Hogsmeade. My dad told me that his godfather hid out here when he was on the run and it was the only place I could think of. But we'll have to move again soon. My dad will look here sooner or later…and I'm betting on sooner," he whispered.

"What are you talking about?" I hissed. "And why are we whispering?"

He paused and bit his lip, a sign that he was worried. I tried to be sympathetic but couldn't focus on anything besides how sext he looked.

"You really don't remember anything, do you?" he asked quietly.

"Of course not. You know how it is when I don't take my potion. It's like a total blackout," I said and then paused as I put the pieces together. "Al, what happened last night?"

"You – you killed Jack Galecki."

My mouth fell open in horror. Jack was an asshole but he didn't deserve to die. And _I_ had killed him. I had taken a human life. I was a bloody _murderer._ I let out a sound that was a mixture between a moan and a sob and hid my face behind my hands. I now knew that the mysterious substance on my face was Jack's blood.

"What happened next?" I asked.

"Professor Gilligan stunned you and put you in the Shrieking Shack until the Minister of Magic and Jack's parents got there," he said.

"Then how the hell did I get _here?_"

Albus's eyes filled with tears. "I-I couldn't let them take you to Azkaban, Scorp."

"Merlin, Al, what did you do?"

"I went back to our common room and collected all of the important stuff: clothes, wands, and anything that would help hide us. Then I went to the kitchens and told the house elves to give me as much food that would fit in my schoolbag. I got your Wolfsbane potion from the potion master's storages, too. And…I might've taken a bit of every ingredient he had. Oh, and a book on how to identify them!"

"That's…great, Al," I said, moving my hands from my face to rub my temples. "But _why?_"

"Well, we're going to have to make some more Wolfsbane potion if you run out. And we could do with some Polyjuice, too. I also have a bunch of stuff from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes that could be really helpful," he said.

"No, I mean why did you do all this?"

He stared at me, dumbfounded. "What do you mean? I did it for you. If you go to court with this, you won't stand a chance!"

"What am I supposed to do? Be on the run my whole life?"

"Look, Scorp, I did this to help you so don't get fresh with me!" Al snapped. "People are prejudiced against werewolves and Malfoys, and you happen to be both, so if the Ministry holds a trial for your case, you might as well just move your things into Azkaban straight away! I just figured that if we run away and buy a little time so everyone can cool down then the two of us can testify. If you have Harry Potter's son on your side, you'll have a better shot.

I let out a low whistle. "Damn. You've really thought this through, haven't you?"

"It wasn't easy. I had to act pretty fast, you know? But I did it. I got you out just in time," Al said with a sigh of relief.

"Speaking of, how did you get me out? I didn't take my potion so I should have tried to rip you to shreds the second I saw you," I replied. Al must have seen how worried I looked because he squeezed my hand.

"It's okay. You didn't hurt me. I put the Imperius Curse on you before you had the chance."

We spent the next hour planning in the dark. Albus had used an Engorgement Charm so that he could fit all of our luggage into his schoolbag and he found a location in the woods for our next hiding spot. I was still having a little trouble getting over that I killed a person, and tried not to think about my dad who would be worried sick about. Instead, I pondered over when Al had become such a badass and how I could have not noticed.

I was so lost in thought that I hadn't realized that Al had said my name three times until he shouted in my ear. "Merlin! What is it?"

"You were ignoring me," he pouted.

"Sorry, I was thinking about…never mind. Anyway, I was not ignoring you. I could never ignore you," I teased and ruffled his messy black locks. I saw him blush in the wand light and felt a whooping sensation in my stomach, like when you go down the big drop on a roller coaster. I wish I could keep touching him but I knew that my hand's stay on the top of his head was long overdue so I quickly removed it and looked away. It was my turn to blush.

"What were you thinking about?" he urged.

"Nothing. I'm just scared, is all."

"Well, don't be. You're with me and as long as we're together, you have nothing to worry about."

A smile tugged at the ends of my lips as I thought about the accidental wordplay that had spun a number of fantasies in my head involving the two of us in the last five seconds. I knew it was pitch black and he couldn't see, but I crossed my legs anyway.


	2. Chapter 2

I woke up the next morning – well, I don't know if it's morning or not because it's so damn dark in this cave but I'm assuming it is because Al and I had eggs when we woke up – to Albus packing.

"Where are we going?" I whispered.

"Away from here. We've been here far too long," he replied, trying to fit all of our supplies into two schoolbags without magic.

"We've only been here a day, Al."

"I know. Dad is bound to check here and I don't want to be here when he does. We have to move quickly."

I stared at him admirably, even if he couldn't see me. "Al?"

"Hmm?"

"You're awesome."

"Thanks," he said. I couldn't see him smiling but I could hear the smile in his voice.

I helped Al pack up our things as best I could in the dark and when we were both sure we had everything, Al gripped my hand and we Disapparated from the cave. When I opened my eyes, the light nearly blinded me. I cried out and slapped my hands over my eyes. Albus hissed, "_Shh!_" and covered my mouth with his hand. I could feel his lips grazing my ear as he whispered, "Do you _want_ to get us caught, you idgit?"

I slowly opened my eyes and allowed them to adjust to the light I hadn't seen in twenty-four hours. Albus removed his hand from my mouth and said, "Dad took me and James hiking here once, a couple years ago. I thought it might be a nice change from the cave."

"You thought right," I said with a grin. We were standing in the middle of a clearing in the forest. It looked just big enough to put up one tent and the clearing was surrounded with many flowers and trees. It was beautiful.

"This place is pretty well hidden, believe it or not," Al said and sat down with an exhausted sigh. "We should be able to stay here for a couple of days. Maybe a week."

"A week? Paranoid much?" I asked.

"Listen, I know my dad and he's going to look under every rock and behind every tree until he finds us. He's good at doing his job and he's about to do it even better because his son is missing. So yeah, I'm a little paranoid."

I stared at him with my mouth hanging open and he glared at me. "Don't look at me like that."

"Sorry," I said and clamped my mouth shut. I forgot that he could see me now.

"It's fine. Just…don't look at me like that, okay, Scorp? It makes me feel like a freak."

I laughed a bit harshly. "You think _you're_ a freak?" I sat down on the ground next to him and pulled up my right pant leg to reveal my mutilated leg. There were bite marks and scars that had grown and stretched painfully as I got older. My leg was grotesque and disgusting, proof of how much of a freak I was and I was ashamed of it. That was why I never let anyone besides Al and my dad look at it. Well, I let my mum see it once but Al and I both knew how that turned out.

"I-I'm sorry, Scorpius. I forgot," he whispered, wiping away the tears that sparkled in his eyes. I looked away because I was starting to feel like crying myself and I didn't want him to know. Al and I are both a bit too sensitive for our own good.

"You have it good, kid. You should go back. You're not involved in this – " I started quietly, but he cut me off.

"Shut up! I'm not a kid; I'm only four months younger than you! And I've involved myself by hiding you, don't you think? I'll be in plenty of trouble, too, if we get caught!" he yelled. He was fully crying now and I knew how much I hurt his feelings. I knew how scared he was. I pulled my pant leg down and put an arm around Albus's shoulders.

"I'm sorry, Al. Okay? Really, I am. I was just trying to protect you, like you've been protecting me. That was so cool of you, Al. I can't think of anyone else who would have done something like that for me. I can't thank you enough."

"You don't have to thank me," Albus said sniffling. He reached up to wipe his eyes again but I beat him to it. I wiped away all the tears on his cheeks with my thumb, my fingers lingering on his face. I longed to stroke his hair so I went for it. I mean, why not? I was already too close; I was already touching him too tenderly and looking at him too lovingly. I reached up and ran my fingers through his black locks, my insides tingling because I finally get to touch him the way I've always wanted to. His lovely green eyes were filled with tears again and he looked away, red in the face. I knew he was embarrassed for me. He knew that I was as straight as a slinky and he knew I was lonely. I was making him uncomfortable, yet he didn't pull away.

"Scorpius," he said. Hearing him say my name like that broke me out of my trance. I could tell from his pleading tone that he wanted me to back off but didn't dare tell me that. I wrenched my hands away from him like I had been electrocuted.

"I'm sorry," I said, staring at the ground. My face started to turn red as well, but Al's was from embarrassment and mine was from shame. I refused to meet his eyes, even when he repeatedly reassured me that it was all right and told me the moment was already forgotten. But that was a lie – neither of us had forgotten and wouldn't any time soon.

I couldn't help but think about what my mum would say if she saw what I had done. How ashamed of me she would be. I blinked back tears and swallowed the lump in my throat. _Don't think about her. Don't do this to yourself._

"Hey, Scorp, come on. Don't do this. I'm sorry for hurting your feelings," Albus said in that soft, comforting tone of his and I felt the corners of my lips tug into a smile because he thought I was crying because he _rejected_ me.

"No, it's not that. I was just thinking, you know, about my mum," I said, wiping my eyes.

"Don't do this to yourself, Scorpius," he said sadly. I smiled grimly because that's what my dad always tells me and that's what I always tell myself but I always do it to myself, anyways.


	3. Chapter 3

I met Albus in our second year. We were sorted into the same House our first year – Slytherin – but did not say a word to each other all year. I think it may have had something to do with the fact that Albus's parents warned him to stay away from me. Or maybe because I had such a huge crush on him our first year that I would nearly piss myself every time he smiled at me.

I came to terms with my sexuality pretty early in my childhood. While other kids my age wouldn't talk to girls because they had "cooties", I already knew that I liked boys. My parents knew pretty early on, too, because my giggles were always too girly and I always wiggled my hips too much when I walked.

From the second I saw Albus, I was smitten with him. I had wanted to talk to him all year but I didn't have the nerve. I was pretty shy. Albus never went out of his way to talk to me, either, but I couldn't blame him. Saying "hello" to me was social suicide. I didn't have any friends that first year and I received beatings and name-callings several times a day. I remembered crying myself to sleep and writing home to my parents, asking to be transferred to another school.

Hogwarts was hell for me. Every day it was a chore to get myself out of bed to face the horrors my day would bring. The one good thing was seeing Albus every day, looking at him, being close to him for just a little while. Al was sweet and innocent and I thought that was cute. He wore sweater vests and used shampoo that smelled like watermelon-flavored gum, and both were probably picked out by his mother. I was pretty sure Albus had never been called a mean name by someone (besides family) in his life but instead of being bitter about it, it made him even more desirable to me. I can't explain it.

I got attacked by a werewolf at the beginning of the summer before my second year. This sucked because I spent most of my summer in St. Mungo's, waiting for my leg and stomach to heal. I didn't have any visitors besides extended family and even _they_ didn't visit often. Only my mum and dad stayed with me every day, even though my dad had a job and my mum was a wreck. All of the kids at school either hated me or avoided me so you could imagine my surprise when one of the Healers told me one of my friends had come to visit me.

It mas mid-July. I was reading one of the comic books my dad had bought me (I'm big on comic books) when the Healer delivered that news. She had a kind, plump face and it lit up with happiness when she said it. She knew I hadn't had any visitors since I checked in a month ago and she must have been happy for me. This made me feel worse for having to tell her it was a mistake.

"No, no mistake. There's a boy here asking to see Scorpius Malfoy, the one with the werewolf bite," the Healer said and saw my parents exchange panicked looks. They wanted to keep my "condition" a secret. "Oh, don't worry. His father and mother are of the few people who know about your son's situation. I can assure you he won't say a word."

They still looked worried, but allowed the boy to see me anyway. I think they thought it would be good for me to have a friend. I, on the other hand, was expecting James Potter or Roger Quaid or one of my other bullies at school to stroll in the door and treat the whole thing as a joke. I nearly fainted when Albus Potter walked through the door with a card and a board game.

"Hi, Scorpius," he said and set the gifts down on the table next to me. "I was going to get you flowers but I thought it would be too girly."

I opened my mouth but no sound came out. Butterflies were fluttering around in my stomach and I thought I was going to puke. I picked up the card off the table and cleared my throat. I squeaked, "Good call," and then hid behind the card, pretending to be reading it when actually I was trying to calm myself down and stop blushing. I was aware that both Albus and my father were looking at me strangely but I was too shocked that I actually managed to _speak_ to Albus to care.

"Thanks for the stuff," I said breathlessly. I managed to actually read the card (_Get well soon, Scorpius! My thoughts and prayers go out to you. –Albus Potter_) and could tell that it was homemade. The board game (_Hungry, Hungry Hippogriffs_) was in a battered box and looked like it had been played frequently. I felt a bit guilty that Albus was giving me his things.

"No problem," he said. It looked like he wanted to say more but instead, he kept throwing nervous glances at my parents and standing next to my bed awkwardly.

"Draco and I will be outside. Call us if you need anything, honey," my mum said and shot my father a cold look when he tried to protest. She had been acting strange around my father since the accident. I promised her I would and she led my dad out of the room, shutting the door firmly behind them.

Albus started to speak right away: "Look, I'm sorry I showed up unannounced. I know we don't talk in school so this must be really awkward for you, but I couldn't stop thinking about what happened to you when Nevi – er, Professor Longbottom let it slip to my family. Then I heard from somebody that you hadn't gotten any visitors and I felt awful because you never get any visitors in the hospital wing at school, either, so…here I am."

"Thank you," was all I said. I was still hung up on when Albus said he couldn't stop thinking about me.

"I just think that being in the hospital all the time and never getting any visitors must be pretty awful so I begged my dad until he let me come."

"Thank you," I said again.

An awkward silence filled the room and I fiddled with the bandages on my leg. I kept glancing over at my comic book – I had just been getting to the good part when Albus came in – and he noticed.

"You like comic books?" asked Al.

"Yes. Do you?" I asked and Albus shook his head.

"I've never really gotten into them. Can I see yours?" I nodded and wordlessly handed it over. I watched as he flipped through it too quickly, hoping he wouldn't tear any of the pages. I could tell that he didn't care at all about comic books but was only pretending to be interested for my sake. I thought that was pretty decent of him. Albus handed the comic book back when he had finished with it and asked, "What got you started on them?"

I licked my lips nervously. I had managed to squeeze out a few words in Albus's presence without embarrassing myself. I wasn't sure I could do the same with an entire speech. "Um, I liked them when I was younger because they were different from regular books. I sort of got addicted to them. I still am, really. Only I read them for inspiration now too."

Albus perked up when I said this. "Inspiration? Do you want to make comic books when you grow up?"

"Yeah. I've made a few, but they're not that good. I'm hoping if I study professional stuff, then I can make comic books like them."

"You've made comic books? Do you have them with you? I'd love to read them."

I shook my head. "No, sorry, they're at my house. I-I can bring them to school, though, if you like. You can read them at Hogwarts."

Albus grinned. "Cool. I bet you're really good at drawing, huh? I wish I could draw. Even my stick figures look demented." He paused after that and then we both bust out laughing. All the time I had spent admiring him from afar, I had imagined that he was a nice boy, somebody that I could have a good time with. I was thrilled to find out I was right.

We spent the rest of the afternoon talking about school and comic books. We even played the game Albus brought for a while, even though the appropriate ages for playing were 5-10. Then Albus brought up the subject of girls, a subject that I had found unnerving ever since I was a little kid.

"So, my cousin Rose thinks you like her. She says that you always blush and look away whenever she's around." _Yeah, that's because whenever I see her, she's with you,_ I thought but did not say this aloud.

"I don't like girls," I said stiffly, looking anywhere but at Albus.

"What do you me –? Oh. _Oh._ Well, uh, I'll tell her that you definitely don't have a crush on her," he said and laughed. I laughed too, glad that my sexuality hadn't put a dent in our new friendship.

"Not that she isn't pretty, because she is," I added, not wanting in him to think I was insulting his cousin.

"I guess so. But aren't gay people like, repulsed by girls?" Albus asked. This time he didn't sound amused or curious. He sounded nervous.

"No. I can still look at a girl and think she's good looking, just like straight guys can look at other guys and admit when that guy is handsome. You have to know what that's like, right? Since you're, you know, straight." There, I did it. I asked him if he was gay or not without it being weird. I decided right then that if he told me he was straight, I would back off. I would get over the stupid crush I had on him and we could be just friends. Except he didn't tell me he was straight, but he didn't tell me he was gay either. He didn't answer the question at all, only changed the subject and started to talk really fast. He left the door open so I continued to fancy him for years.

Our conversation switched to the necklace with a silver cross on my end table. I told him that my mum got it for me when I was younger because she raised me to be really religious. I go to church every Sunday whenever I come home on break and I pray every day. One of the really bad things about being a werewolf was that I couldn't wear it any more. I adored that cross. My new allergy to silver gave me a rash when I wore the cross and when I changed, it burned my skin.

Albus listened to this story and suddenly looked really sad. "I respect your beliefs, Scorpius, but if God really cared about you, why would he let this happen to you? You're a good person."

"I believe God has a plan for me. I think He knows what He's doing," I replied and used my hanker chief to pick up the cross necklace and hold it out to him. "I want you to have it."

Albus didn't protest or insist that I keep it. He whispered, "Thank you," and put it on.

He's still wearing it now, when we're on the run and camped out in the woods. It flashes in the sun and I wonder if he squeezes the cross in his palm when he prays at night, like I used to. I wonder if he prays at all.

Al noticed me looking at him and smiled at me softly. He was being decent to me, despite the fact that I molested his head this morning. I decided to acknowledge the event with humor, since we had been taking everything so seriously lately.

"Listen, Al," I said and he turned to look at me. "I'm sorry for creeping on you this morning. I really am. I don't know what got into me…"

"It's all right, Scorpius. You just took me by surprise, is all," he replied, looking embarrassed. Why was _he_ embarrassed?

"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"You didn't make me uncomfortable. I didn't say that, did I?"

"No."

"Well, all right then," he said, and turned away from me to flip through the Potions book he had stolen. There was something strange about the way he had been acting, like he was mad at me or something. Albus was acting the way he acted when he was trying to keep a secret. There was something he wasn't telling me.


	4. Chapter 4

Astronomy has always been my favorite subject in school. My dad used to joke around with me and say that, because of my name, I was born with a connection with the stars. My mum wasn't fond of that joke because she hated that my dad named me without her permission. She wanted to name me Kevin.

I was lying in the open clearing with Albus by my side and we were looking at the stars. Looking at them twinkle and sparkle in the sky always helped calm me down, which was what I needed. The fact that we were on the run from the law had just started to sink in and I was terrified. I needed something to settle my nerves.

Albus kept twitching and shifting his position next to me but I didn't pay him any mind. I was daydreaming, off in my own little world, and even began to doze off. Until Albus interrupted me by loudly saying, "Scorpius."

"Hmm?" I moaned, rubbing my eyes. I was a bit annoyed that he woke me up so I wasn't as caring towards him as I normally would have been. "What's the matter?"

"There's something I never told you."

"Go on…" I encouraged, still a bit annoyed that he woke me up. I just wanted him to get it over with so I could go back to sleep.

"It – it has to do with this morning," he said. The mention of the incident shocked the sleep out of me and instead of being curious, I was even more annoyed.

"I told you I was sorry, Al. You said it was forgotten," I reminded him, not bothering to keep the irritation out of my voice. He didn't, either.

"Well, it isn't!"

I forgot all about the stars and my panic about being on the run and sat up to look sternly down at him. "What is the matter with you? You've been acting strange all day. If you're serious and this _is_ about what happened earlier, I already told you I was sorry so you can't be mad abou –"

"I'm not mad, Scorpius!" he interrupted me. He was sprawled on his back on the grass but, unlike me, he didn't have to sit up to let me know he was serious.

"What –?"

"I liked it," Al said and upon admitting this, he looked like he was about to cry. "I like you."

I let myself be excited for a moment before suspicion came creeping in. _Wait just a minute,_ I caught myself. _This is too good to be true._ Good things just don't happen to me.

"That isn't funny, Al," I said harshly.

"I _know_ it isn't funny! Why the hell would I ever joke about something like that? I'm your best friend! I would never do that to you! God, I can't believe you would ever think –" I cut him off mid-rant by mashing my lips onto his.

I'll tell you this, it wasn't what I expected. I expected magical feelings and sparks and giggles. What I didn't expect was to feel a pair of hands on my chest and shove, sending me tumbling backwards.

"_Ow!_" I cried, my voice muffled by the part of my jacket that ended up in my mouth as I rolled backwards. I scrambled to get into a sitting position and glared at Albus. "See? I knew you were lying."

"_I'm not lying!_" he hissed, looking angrier than I'd ever seen him. Except I wasn't afraid of him – I was angry, too.

"Bullshit you're not. You're just trying to mess with me. Why even rescue me if you're going to be cruel and act like you're on your period the entire time?" I shot back.

"I'm not being cruel and I'm not trying to mess with you! Stop jumping to conclusions!" He didn't sound angry this time. Instead, his tone was pleading.

"Then why did you pull away when I kissed you?" I demanded to know.

"B-because it's wrong," Albus stammered.

I stared at him in disbelief. "It's wrong? Being gay is _wrong?_"

Albus tapped the silver cross that was hanging around his neck. "I've prayed every night since you gave me this."

"So?"

"Do you know what I pray about, Scorpius?" he asked.

I considered being rude again, but he would just ignore me like he did the last time so I played along:  
"No, I don't."

"I pray for you. And about you. I ask God not to banish me to hell for loving you."

"God would never do that," I answered quickly. "God loves all of His children. He doesn't care what their sexual orientation is."

"That's not what everyone else says. Ian Capith told me that faggots are possessed by demons. That Satan put us on Earth to stir up trouble. Ian is one of my closest friends!"

"What's your point?" I asked him.

"My point is that I can't do it. I can't come out to my family and hope they'll accept me and I can't live with reporters following me around asking me what it's like to be _possessed by a demon._ I can't fucking do it," Albus ranted. The color in his cheeks rose as he spoke. "But I also can't stop thinking about you. I can't go another day pretending that we're only friends."

"What the hell do you want me to do?" I demanded.

"Oh, Merlin, Scorp. I-I have no idea. All I know is that I want you so badly, but I can't have you. It's all I think about."

"You have to stop worrying so much about what other people think of you, Al," I advised him. "It shouldn't matter what anyone else has to say as long as it's what you want. If your family really loves you, they'll be supportive because they'll know you're happy and that's all that should matter to them."

"But –but you don't understand. I _can't_ be gay. I'm Harry Potter's son. I have expectations to live up to," he said and I chuckled because after everything that he had confessed, he was still arguing with me. I should have expected it, though. Albus always has to have the last word. "Why are you laughing? It's not funny."

"I know it's not, but you are. Who cares what the rest of the world thinks? I'm sure your family will love and accept you just the way you are. Your happiness is far more important than being who your parents want you to be."

Al opened his mouth to argue, but then shut it again. He looked at me in wonder and sat up so he was in the sitting position as well.

"I'm gay," he said.

"Good. That wasn't so bad, was it?" I asked, but never found out the answer because Albus's lips were suddenly on mine again and I wasn't going to stop him from kissing me just to ask him about it.

Snogging Albus was even better than I imagined. We lay down on the forest floor under the stars and kissed until I lost track of time. Then I pulled away to kiss Al's neck and he whispered, "Do you have a condom?"

I jerked back and stared at him in disbelief. "A condom? _What?_"

"Yeah, you're right, we probably won't need one. I mean, neither of us is going to get pregnant, right? And we're both virgins so STDs are nothing to worry about," he said, his brows knitted together in concentration as he analyzed the situation.

"That's not what I meant at all!" I cried and he shushed me ("We're on the run, remember?"). I lowered my voice to a whisper: "We can't have sex!"

"Why not?" Al asked.

"We just…we just can't. Not here."

"Why not?" Al repeated.

"Don't you want to go on a date before you jump into bed with me? Not that I wouldn't appreciate a good shag, but I would like to take you out first," I said. I expected him to be flattered by my cuteness, but Al groaned.

"I'll have to tell my parents that I'm gay before you take me out on a date, Scorp. Thanks for reminding me."

"Everything will work out fine, Al. Trust me," I said. Al said that he did trust me and then quickly changed the subject, commenting on the cold weather and asking that I hold him. I did.


	5. Chapter 5

I awoke to hushed voices. My first thought was that it was the other boys in my common room. They always rose early and never bothered to keep their voices down. Then I remembered where I was. I remembered that Al and I were alone in the clearing, so why did I hear two voices?

"– can't take him to Azkaban, Dad! It was an accident, I swear! I was a witness!"

"I have to take him to Azkaban while he waits for his trial, Al. It's procedure and I have to follow it. I'm sorry."

"But Dad –"

"No buts. I don't want to hear another word about it. I don't have a choice."

My heart pounded in my chest. Albus was talking to his father. His father was the head of the Auror Department. Harry Potter had found me.

"Wake up your friend," Harry said quietly.

"No."

"Albus, do as I say."

"No! I won't let you take him to prison! I didn't run away with him for nothing."

Harry's voice was hard: "You should never have run away with him in the first place. Your mother and I were worried sick about you. You have done nothing but cause more trouble for this boy. By fleeing, you have made the public certain that he is guilty of his crimes. He may not even get the privilege of having a trial. He may be sentenced to a life in Azkaban, because of you."

I chose that moment to open my eyes and sit up. I didn't think I could bear to hear them argue any more on my account or hear Al cry or hear them talk more about me spending the rest of my life in Azkaban. Harry and Al both looked at me and I tried to make myself stop trembling.

"Can I talk to my dad before you take me to Azkaban?" I choked out. I suddenly found that I was on the verge of tears. I couldn't remember ever being this terrified before.

"Yes," Harry said. I could tell he felt sorry about arresting me so I stood up and let him magically bind my hands behind my back without a fight.

"Dad, please –"

"Come on, Al, I'm taking you home. I'll talk to you when I get back from escorting Mr. Malfoy to Azkaban," Harry said without looking at his son.

Albus grabbed his father's arm and stared at his feet so Harry wouldn't see him cry. I wanted to say something comforting, but failed to find any words. We Disapparated and appeared on my front porch. My knees felt wobbly and my head was still spinning when Harry knocked on the door. My dad threw open the door minutes later in his pajamas. Only then did I realize that it was the middle of the night. Al and I could only have been asleep for a few hours before his dad found us. What if we _had_ had sex? What if Harry had caught us at it? I shuddered just thinking about it and my dad pulled me into a hug.

"Oh, Scorpius," he groaned, "what have you gotten yourself into?"

I didn't answer, but appreciated the feel of his strong arms wrapped around me and the way he smelled. I tried not to think about how I might never feel or smell him like this again. My bad leg ached from going so long without treatment and I winced into my father's chest. He sensed my discomfort and pushed me away.

"What's the matter, Scor? Has Mr. Potter been too rough with you?" Dad asked, not bothering to keep the bitterness out of his voice. I didn't feel the least bit embarrassed, even though Al and Mr. Potter were standing right next to us. Why shouldn't my dad be bitter? Harry Potter didn't get treated like scum from the entire Wizarding World for mistakes he made when he was sixteen. Harry Potter's wife hadn't left him. Harry Potter's son wasn't going to jail. Harry Potter had everything and my dad had nothing. Despite him being my best friend's father and the Wizarding World's hero, I couldn't help from hate him, too, at that moment.

"No," I replied truthfully. "The only person screwing things up for me is me."

"What happened at the Quidditch match, Scor? Why did you just _disappear_ afterwards? I nearly went out of my mind looking for you!" my father snapped at me. I began to stutter an excuse, but my dad shot me a look that meant that I was not going to talk my way out of this one. I hung my head in shame.

"He can answer all those questions at his trail," Harry piped up and I didn't have to look up to know that my father was glaring at him.

"When is his trial?" my dad asked quietly, struggling to hide the anger from his voice. I was glad. I didn't want my dad to start something with Harry frickin' Potter while I was being put on trial for murder – that would definitely _not_ help my chances in court.

"I don't know yet. I will send you an owl as soon as I find out."

"All right, thank you."

Albus and I awkwardly stood on my porch, staring at our feet while our fathers made polite small talk and pretended like they didn't loathe each other. Actually, it was more like my dad was pretending not to loathe Harry, and Harry was pretending not to notice that my dad was pretending not to loathe him. If that makes any sense.

I hugged my dad tightly one more time and we whispered our 'I love you's before Harry took me away. He Apparated again, except this time we appeared in Azkaban. Dementors had been removed from the wizard prison, but Azkaban was still terrifying. I began to shake when Harry told the guards who I was and I was on the verge of an emotional breakdown by the time I was put in my cell. I sat on the edge of my cot and put my face in my hands, trying to regain control over myself. I was thinking about how horribly my chances were in court and how I could have gotten myself into this situation when I heard a voice mutter, "Goodbye, Scor."

I looked up from my hands and saw a ratty old sneaker and jet black hair disappear from view. I jumped up and ran to the front of the cell, my hand craning against the bars to get one last look of Albus. I was about to call out to him when I heard Harry Potter say something in a low voice and then a crack as they Disapparated. Albus would face hell when he got home, but I could offer no sympathy because I had used up all my feelings of pity on myself. I walked back over to my cot and flopped down on it. It was lumpy and too small and I wouldn't have any place to rest my leg. I thought about how I might spend the rest of my life on this cot and it took every ounce of strength I had not to sob into the grimy pillow.

I rolled around onto my back and stared at the dingy ceiling. Moonlight poured in through the barred windows and I felt the familiar feeling of alarm, despite that it was not a full moon and I knew it. Panicking when I saw the moon had become second nature to me. I only wished I had remembered to panic when I was playing that Quidditch game and killed –

I shook my head, forcing the memory out of my mind. Albus and my father were right. I had to stop torturing myself with bad memories. Driving myself mad with regret would not help me. I thought briefly of my mother and tried to push those thoughts away as well, but the memory consumed me before I had the chance. I remembered coming down the stairs on Christmas morning three years ago to find my mum's bags by the front door. I remembered her kissing my cheek and telling me to be good. I remembered her telling me that she simply _had_ to leave because she and Dad didn't love each other any more. I remembered begging her to stay and I remembered her response: "I can't, Scor. I can't stay here and watch you grow up to be just like your father."

Troubled, I tucked my head under the pillow and shivered from fear and cold underneath the thin blanket.


End file.
